Reports

The Defend Ukraine Appeal (DUA), formerly known as U-Help, is a national fundraising initiative of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO).

The Defend Ukraine Appeal is not a separate legal entity or registered charity. Rather, it operates as a fundraising campaign of the AFUO and is administered under the AFUO’s governance, financial management and charitable reporting framework.

To ensure transparency and accountability, funds donated to the Defend Ukraine Appeal are held in a dedicated AFUO bank account established exclusively for DUA/U-Help. This allows donations received through the Defend Ukraine Appeal to be separately identified, managed and accounted for, while remaining part of the AFUO’s overall financial records.

As a fundraising initiative of the AFUO, the Defend Ukraine Appeal is governed by the AFUO Board in accordance with the AFUO Constitution and the AFUO’s financial governance policies.

All financial decisions relating to the Defend Ukraine Appeal are voted on by the AFUO Board during formally convened Board meetings. Decisions are recorded in meeting minutes and are implemented only after approval by a majority vote of the Board.

The Defend Ukraine Appeal’s finances are subject to the same rigorous oversight as all other AFUO activities, including:

• internal financial oversight and reporting;
• independent annual external audit of the AFUO’s financial statements; and
• review and approval by AFUO Members at the Annual General Meeting.

The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations is a registered Australian charity regulated by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).

As the Defend Ukraine Appeal (U-Help) forms part of the AFUO, its financial activities are incorporated into the AFUO’s annual financial statements and charity reporting. These reports are independently audited, approved by Members at the Annual General Meeting and lodged with the ACNC in accordance with Australian charity law.

Copies of the AFUO’s annual reports and audited financial statements are publicly available through the AFUO website and the ACNC Charity Register: https://afuo.org.au/financial-reports/

The AFUO is committed to ensuring that all donations received through the Defend Ukraine Appeal (U-Help) are managed responsibly, applied for their intended charitable purposes, and subject to the same high standards of governance, accountability and transparency that apply across all AFUO operations.

We are grateful to every donor, volunteer and partner whose support enables the Defend Ukraine Appeal to continue providing critical assistance to the people of Ukraine.